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Must pump&dump after MRI but baby loves to nurse to sleep!

My 10 1/2 month old son is great with a cup and table foods, but loves to nurse 4-5 times a day...especially before sleep. I need an MRI this Friday and have been told I must not breastfeed him for 24 hrs afterward. He used to be in daycare, so I think I can get him to take the EBM in a bottle for the daytime hours, but I am super worried about not being able to nurse him at bedtime and upon waking the next morning---his favorite nursing times. (A caveat, he prefers me to put him to sleep. Have tried letting dad do a bottle at bed in past and both dad and baby were unsuccessful and I was called back home to help calm down our son!) Any ideas or tips for making this 24 hour period easier on baby,especially at bedtime? I planned to wean the bedtime feeding around 12months anyway, but didn't want to have to do CIO. This may end up being a CIO session if I can't figure out a gentle solution

The link in that thread is this one:http://kellymom.com/bf/can-i-breastf...radioisotopes/, which includes references to the Hale book. Hale is the "bible" for the effects of medications on breastmilk, used by doctors and other health professionals, so very trustworthy. (Kellymom is also very trustworthy, evidence-based site)

Re: Must pump&dump after MRI but baby loves to nurse to slee

I did call the radiology department and cite this type of information (which I found online earlier today) and they still advised that I do not nurse him for 24 hours. Also called the lactation consultant and pediatrician and they seemed to support the same 24 hr rule. I'm not sure who else to ask. The radiology dept. did say that it was an MRI with contrast and that's why I can't nurse afterward. (apparently some mri's can be done without contrast so it's considered safe to nurse)

Re: Must pump&dump after MRI but baby loves to nurse to slee

Huh. Well, sometimes the health professionals are just erring on the side of caution. On the other hand, you're definitely getting consistent advice, so I'm certainly not in a position to tell you otherwise. Ultimately, it's up to you what you are comfortable with.

This may just be a tough night for your little one. If your son is being comforted (holding, rocking, singing, etc.), I don't consider that "CIO". He'll survive one night without nursing, even if it's not easy on either you or him. Just don't beat yourself up about it.

For specific advice: With my son, I found that he was a lot more receptive to alternative means of getting to sleep when daddy had him than when he was being held by me an close to the breast but not "allowed" to nurse (this was at an older age when we were night-weaning). On the other hand, I have totally the opposite experience with my daughter. Having tried it a few times, you might have a sense of which would work better?

Re: Must pump&dump after MRI but baby loves to nurse to slee

Thank you for the links, I've directly emailed them to our pediatrician, who is also a certified LC, so I will see what she says. Yes, it may just be a noisy night at our house. I will have to see what we can come up with. Who knows, maybe I'm worrying for nothing and he will take it in stride. He's super laid back, but definitely likes his mama!

Re: Must pump&dump after MRI but baby loves to nurse to slee

I had an MRI with Galdolinium contrast and I also nursed immediately after, I have a thread here asking as well. and i also emailed Dr Jack Newman for confirmation.

IMO it's just like every single bottle of OTC medicine.... everything says the same blanket statement to CYA (cover thier ass) do not take if you pregnant breastfeeding or may become pregnant

below is Dr Jack Newman's response to me:

Dear Autumn,

Absolutely nothing to worry about. You don't have to interrupt breastfeeding even for one second. See attached. Take with you and if they tell you that you have to stop, hand them a copy of the statement by the American College of Radiologists.

See also the attached chapter on drugs and breastfeeding from my book, Dr. Jack Newman's Guide to Breastfeeding (HarperCollins, 2nd revision 2005) as it's called in Canada, or The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers as it's called in the US (now out in a new edition, as of November 2006).

I now also have a new book out, published by Hale Publishing, called The Latch and other keys to Successful Breastfeeding. Ordering information is available at www.drjacknewman.com

We have an instructional DVD for breastfeeding called Dr. Jack Newman’s Visual Guide to Breastfeeding. For a preview and more information, see www.drjacknewman.com. The DVD is now available in English and French (on the same DVD) as well as subtitled (on the same DVD) in Spanish, Italian and Portuguese.

Jack Newman, MD, FRCPC

i'd be happy to forward you his response with attachments and all just PM me your email address if you like.

I recommend finding out what specific contrast they are using and doing your own research.

I recommend finding out what specific contrast they are using and doing your own research.

You are best off finding out what contrast is being used and calling infantrisk yourself for a personal consultation: (806)-352-2519, Monday-Friday 8am-5pm central time.

Dr. Hale and his colleagues are the experts in these matters and will be able to advise you far better than anyone else. Most doctors are not very extensively trained in pharmacology and know little more than the standard CYA warnings. You are better off talking to a pharmacist about drugs and breastfeeding than a doctor, but the people at infantrisk are even more knowledgeable yet. It's a free service - take advantage of their expertise.